News (Media Awareness Project) - US IL: Woman Acquitted Of Selling Heroin Near Nursing Home |
| Title: | US IL: Woman Acquitted Of Selling Heroin Near Nursing Home |
| Published On: | 2007-04-19 |
| Source: | Pantagraph, The (Bloomington, IL) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-12 08:02:31 |
WOMAN ACQUITTED OF SELLING HEROIN NEAR NURSING HOME
BLOOMINGTON -- A Bloomington woman was acquitted Thursday of selling
heroin to a man within 1,000 feet of a nursing home facility.
The jury deliberated about 20 minutes before acquitting Keisha
Rials-Parks, 26, of the 2200 block of Todd Drive.
She was accused of selling drugs July 24 to a confidential police source.
Prosecutors said the sale took place in an apartment on Tracy Drive
near a rehabilitation center on South Main Street. The police source
was a man cooperating with police in exchange for consideration in
pending criminal cases in Champaign and McLean counties.
Assistant StateaTMs Attorney Pablo Eves asked the jury to accept the
credibility of the source despite the manaTMs extensive criminal record.
Rials-Parks did not testify during the trial and shook her head in
disagreement with much of the testimony against her. Her attorney
contended prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence that she was the
person who supplied the drugs.
Commenting outside the courtroom, Eves said the practice of using
people not connected with law enforcement to assist police is necessary.
"Undercover officers aren't going to know everyone and they can be
recognized. Confidential sources can get into places where officers
can't. Sources are real people with real stories -- not just
cardboard cutouts," said the prosecutor.
During his testimony, the police source admitted he was addicted to
heroin when he was arrested on forgery and theft charges in McLean
County last July. He agreed to arrange a drug buy and wear an audio
recording device while police listened to the conversation, he said.
aoeI needed help with the cases I had pending. I was hoping my
sentence would be reduced to the minimum,a the source told jurors.
He said he received four years in prison on the McLean County
charges, the minimum penalty.
He also was paid $35.
Defense attorney Terry Dodds said the state's case should be rejected
because "what you have is a grand display of falsity."
The source, described as a 10-time convicted felon "is in the
business of helping himself," said Dodds.
BLOOMINGTON -- A Bloomington woman was acquitted Thursday of selling
heroin to a man within 1,000 feet of a nursing home facility.
The jury deliberated about 20 minutes before acquitting Keisha
Rials-Parks, 26, of the 2200 block of Todd Drive.
She was accused of selling drugs July 24 to a confidential police source.
Prosecutors said the sale took place in an apartment on Tracy Drive
near a rehabilitation center on South Main Street. The police source
was a man cooperating with police in exchange for consideration in
pending criminal cases in Champaign and McLean counties.
Assistant StateaTMs Attorney Pablo Eves asked the jury to accept the
credibility of the source despite the manaTMs extensive criminal record.
Rials-Parks did not testify during the trial and shook her head in
disagreement with much of the testimony against her. Her attorney
contended prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence that she was the
person who supplied the drugs.
Commenting outside the courtroom, Eves said the practice of using
people not connected with law enforcement to assist police is necessary.
"Undercover officers aren't going to know everyone and they can be
recognized. Confidential sources can get into places where officers
can't. Sources are real people with real stories -- not just
cardboard cutouts," said the prosecutor.
During his testimony, the police source admitted he was addicted to
heroin when he was arrested on forgery and theft charges in McLean
County last July. He agreed to arrange a drug buy and wear an audio
recording device while police listened to the conversation, he said.
aoeI needed help with the cases I had pending. I was hoping my
sentence would be reduced to the minimum,a the source told jurors.
He said he received four years in prison on the McLean County
charges, the minimum penalty.
He also was paid $35.
Defense attorney Terry Dodds said the state's case should be rejected
because "what you have is a grand display of falsity."
The source, described as a 10-time convicted felon "is in the
business of helping himself," said Dodds.
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